Daily News 03 / 09 / 2021

Coronavirus: The EU and AstraZeneca agree on COVID-19 vaccine supply and on ending litigation

Today the EU and AstraZeneca have reached an agreement which will secure the delivery of the remaining COVID-19 vaccine doses to Member States under the terms of the Advance Purchase Agreement concluded on 27 August 2020 with AstraZeneca. The agreement will also end the pending litigation before the Brussels Court. Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, said: “Today's settlement agreement guarantees the delivery of the remaining 200 million COVID-19 vaccine doses by AstraZeneca to the EU. While this week we reached the important milestone of 70% full vaccination of the EU's adult population, there are significant differences in vaccination rates between our Member States, and the continued availability of vaccines, including AstraZeneca's, remain crucial. And as the strongest supporter of global vaccine cooperation and solidarity, we will continue helping the rest of the world. Our aim is to share at least 200 million doses of vaccines through COVAX with low and middleincome countries until the end of this year. Vaccine solidarity is and remains our trademark.” This settlement agreement provides for the firm commitment by AstraZeneca to deliver, in addition to the around 100 million doses delivered until end of Q2, 135 million doses by the end of 2021 (60 million doses by the end of Q3 and 75 million doses by the end of Q4) and the remaining doses (65 million) by the end of March 2022.This will bring the total number of doses delivered to 300 million doses as agreed under the contract. Member States will be provided with regular delivery schedules and capped rebates will apply in the event of any delayed doses. See the press release and questions and answers for further details. (For more information: Stefan De Keersmaecker - Tel : +32 229  84680 ; Darragh Cassidy - Tel : +32 229 83978)  

State aid: Commission approves €10 million Irish support measure for fishery sector in the context of Brexit

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €10 million Irish scheme to support the fishery sector affected by the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, and the consequent quota share reductions foreseen in the provisions of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) between the EU and the UK. The support will be available to companies that commit to temporarily cease their fishing activities for a month. The aim of the scheme is to save part of the Irish reduced fishing quota for other vessels, while the beneficiaries temporarily suspend their activities. The compensation will be granted as a non-refundable grant, calculated on the basis of gross earnings averaged for the fleet size, excluding the cost of fuel and food for the crew of the vessel. Each eligible company will be entitled to the support for up to a month in the period between 1 September to 31 December 2021. The Commission assessed the measures under Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which allows Member States to support the development of certain economic activities or regions, under certain conditions.The Commission found that the measure enhances the sustainability of the fishery sector and its ability to adapt to new fishing and market opportunities arising from the new relationship with the UK. Therefore, the measure facilitates the development of this sector and contributes to the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy to ensure that fishing and aquaculture activities are environmentally sustainable in the long term. The Commission concluded that the measure constitutes an appropriate form of support in order to facilitate an orderly transition in the EU fishery sector following the withdrawal of the UK from the EU. On this basis, the Commission approved the scheme under EU State aid rules. Today's decision does not prejudge whether the support measure will eventually be eligible for Brexit Adjustment Reserve ‘BAR' funding, which will be assessed once the BAR Regulation has entered into force. However, it already provides Ireland with legal certainty that the Commission considers the support measure to be compliant with EU State aid rules, irrespective of the ultimate source of funding. The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the case number SA.64035 in the State aid register on the Commission's competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved. (For more information: Daniel Ferrie – Tel.: +32 229 86500; Giulia Astuti – Tel.: +32 229 55344)

State aid: Commission approves one-year prolongation of tax exemption for biofuels in Sweden

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the prolongation of the tax exemption measure for biofuels in Sweden. Sweden has exempted liquid biofuels from energy and CO₂ taxation since 2002. The measure has already been prolonged several times, the last time in October 2020 (SA.55695). By today's decision, the Commission approves an additional one-year prolongation of the tax exemption (from 1 January to 31 December 2022). The objective of the tax exemption measure is to increase the use of biofuels and to reduce the use of fossil fuels in transport. The Commission assessed the measure under EU State aid rules, in particular the Guidelines on State Aid for environmental protection and energy. The Commission found that the tax exemptions are necessary and appropriate for stimulating the production and consumption of domestic and imported biofuels, without unduly distorting competition in the Single Market. In addition, the scheme will contribute to the efforts of both Sweden and the EU as a whole to deliver on the Paris agreement and move towards the 2030 renewables and CO₂ targets. The support to food-based biofuels should remain limited, in line with the thresholds imposed by the revised Renewable Energy Directive. Furthermore, the exemption can only be granted when operators demonstrate compliance with sustainability criteria, which will be transposed by Sweden as required by the revised Renewable Energy Directive. On this basis, the Commission concluded that the measure is in line with EU State aid rules. More information will be available on the Commission's competition website, in the State Aid Register under the case number SA.63198. (For more information: Daniel Ferrie – Tel.: +32 229 86500; Giulia Astuti – Tel.: +32 229 55344)

State aid: Commission approves €1.6 million Austrian scheme to support public companies active in the pool and wellness sector in the context of the coronavirus outbreak                           

The European Commission has approved a €1.6 million Austrian scheme to support public companies active in the pool and wellness sector affected by the coronavirus outbreak and the restrictive measures that the Austrian government had to implement to limit the spread of the virus. The measure was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework. Under the scheme, the aid will take the form of direct grants up to €400,000 per beneficiary. The measure will be open to publicly owned micro, small and medium-sized enterprises active in the Salzburg region and operating a thermal or indoor swimming pool with sauna and/or wellness area. The public support will cover part of the fixed costs incurred by these companies during periods in which they experienced business disruption due to the restrictions in place. The purpose of the measure is to mitigate the sudden liquidity shortages that these companies are facing due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Commission found that the Austrian scheme is in line with the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework. In particular, the aid (i) will not exceed €1.8 million per beneficiary; and (ii) will be granted no later than 31 December 2021. The Commission concluded that the measure is necessary, appropriate and proportionate to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy of a Member State, in line with Article 107(3)(b) TFEU and the conditions of the Temporary Framework. On this basis, the Commission approved the measure under EU State aid rules. More information on the Temporary Framework and other actions taken by the Commission to address the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic can be found here. The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the case number SA.64490 in the State aid register on the Commission's competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved. (For more information: Daniel Ferrie – Tel.: +32 229 86500; Giulia Astuti – Tel.: +32 229 55344; Maria Tsoni – Tel.: +32 229 90526)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

La commissaire Kyriakides participe au G20 de la santé à Rome

Les 5 et 6 septembre, Stella Kyriakides, commissaire à la santé et à la sécurité alimentaire, participera à une réunion des ministres de la santé organisée par la présidence italienne du G20. La réunion portera sur l'impact de la pandémie de COVID-19 sur la santé mondiale et sur ses conséquences dans la mise en œuvre des objectifs de développement durable. Elle appellera à davantage d'actions en faveur d'une "santé unique" et d'une meilleure interconnexion entre la santé animale et humaine, les conditions environnementales ainsi que la coopération mondiale pour soutenir un accès équitable aux outils de contrôle des maladies tels que les vaccins, les thérapeutiques et les diagnostics. Avant sa participation, le commissaire Kyriakides a déclaré : « La pandémie a clairement démontré à quel point nos systèmes de santé mondiaux sont interconnectés. La principale leçon tirée de la crise du COVID-19 est le rôle crucial de la coopération mondiale et des actions coordonnées. L'Union européenne a été à l'avant-garde de la réponse collective à ces défis, tant au niveau interne que sur la scène mondiale, et j'attends avec impatience une réunion au cours de laquelle une nouvelle architecture mondiale de sécurité sanitaire cohérente et complète sera discutée. » #G20Italy (Pour plus d'informations : Stefan De Keersmaecker - Tél : +32 229 84680 ; Darragh Cassidy - Tél : +32 229 83978)

CALENDRIER - Activités hebdomadaires des commissaires

Liste des points prévus à l'ordre du jour des prochaines réunions de la Commission

Veuillez noter que ces informations sont données sous réserve de modifications.

Eurostat: communiqués de presse

The Spokesperson's Service has re-opened the Berlaymont press room to a limited number of journalists. For more information, please see here.